Leather-buffing machine



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No. 535,906. Patented Mam. 19, 1895.

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LEATHER BUFPING MACHINE;

No. 535,906. I Patented Mar. 19, 1895.

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CHARLES S. JOHNSON, OF LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS.

LEATHER-BUFFING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 535,906, dated March 19, 1895. Application filed June 8, 1894- Serial Not 513,885- (No model.)

To ooZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES S. JOHNSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lynn, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inLeather-Buffing Machines, of which the following is aspecificatiou.

My invention relates to improvements in machines for buffing, scouring, or cleaning leather, and its object is to improve upon the machine described in an application for Letters Patent, filed on October 12, 1893, by Carleton F. Leighton, Serial No. et87,948.

The machine just referred to consists essentially of a cylinder provided with a suitable abrasive surface, to which is given a compound motion by means of the simultaneous rotation and axial reciprocation of the cylinder. -The advantages arising from the use of such a machine consist, first, in the improved surface given to the leather by a single operation thereon, and, second, in the prolonged life of the abrasive surface itself. It is found, however, in practice that the articles to be buffed, particularly the soles of shoes, usually present certain irregularities of surface, especially at their edges, which are apt to be slightly raised by previous operations on the shoe, such as stitching; and it is also found that the compound motion of the buffing roll above described is unsuitable for reducing such irregularities of surface without unduly abradingthe contiguous parts of the sole, owing to the rapid variations of the direction of motion of the surface of the roll.

I have overcome this objection in the machine forming the subject of this invention, by combining with a buffing surface having acompound motion such as above described, a clutch mechanism or its equivalent under the control of the operator, whereby the shaft reciprocating mechanism may be rendered operative or inoperative as may be desired, without interfering with or affecting the rotary motion of said surface. When rotary motion only is thus imparted to the buffer, the abrading surface brought into contact with the work may be as narrow or limited in area as is desirable. Consequently the irregularities previously referred to may be acted on without the danger of the adjacent parts being touched by the buffer, as would be the case chine embodying my invention.

face or material is carried upon a rotating cylinder, which is reciprocated automatically in the line of its axis. It will be obvious, however, that my improvement could as well be applied to any device having a buffer in which a rotary motion is compounded with any other desired motion.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation, and Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a ma- Fig. 3 is a plan view, partly in section, of the pulley and the clutch mechanism whereby it is rendered operative or inoperative.

A represents the usual revolving shaft of a buffing machine shown as provided with two buffing rolls B, B, of any well known construction. In order that the shaft A may be automatically reciprocated during its revolution I attach to it a rocking lever C to which reciprocating motion is imparted by a pin and slo t eccentric D. The shaft of this eccentric is connected by bevel gearing (see Fig. 2) to adriving shaft E, whereon is mounted a pulley G, which is belted to and takes its power from the main shaft F by which, the buffer shaft is driven. The pulley G is loose on the shaft and is normally forced against the loose collar a by means of a spring b, which bears at one end against a clutch c fixed to the shaft E, and at the other endiagainst the pulley G. The bearing d in which the shaft E is journaled is provided with a V-shaped notch e, and a projection fof corresponding shape and size is formed on the collar a. Consequently when the notch e and projection f are opposite each other, the collar a may be forced up against the bearing d, thus allowing the pulley G to separate from its clutch and causing the shaft. E to remain stationary. \Vhen,

however, the collar (1 is partially rotated by means of the lever g, the proj ection f is thrown out of the notch e and thus causes the pulley G to slide toward the clutch, and engage therewith, thus causing the shaft E to rotate and the buffer rolls to reciprocate.

The engaging'parts of the clutch mechanism consist simply of a pin h secured to the clutch c and a pin 7c secured to the pulley G. These pins are of such length that when the pulleyG is pushed away from the clutch cby the spring I), said pins will pass each other without touching, but when the pulley Gr is pushed toward the clutch o as above described, the ends of the pins will not pass by each other, but will engage and the motion of the pulley will consequently be imparted to the shaft E.

The lever g may be provided with an operating handle Z, or with a treadle p, or with both as may be preferred.

While a form of clutch mechanism is found to be simple and efficient in practice for the purpose set forth, yet I do not desire to be confined strictly thereto, as it may be replaced by various mechanical equivalents, such for example as a fast and loose pulley.

I claim as my invention In a machine of the character described, the combination of a buffing roll shaft, means forrotating said shaft, means for automatically reciprocating said shaft while it is rotating, a clutch mechanism whereby the shaft reciprocating mechanism may be rendered operative or inoperative as desired, and means for operating said clutch mechanism without stopping or interfering with the rotation of the roll, for-the purpose set' forth.

In testimony whereofI have hereunto subscribed my name this 6th day of June, A. D. 1894.

CHARLES S. JOHNSON.

Witnesses:

MosEs S. CASE, ELLEN B. TOMLINSON. 

